Nut pickup device



8? 1958 H. J. TOUCHBERRY 2,835Q099 NUT PICKUP DEVICE Filed May 31, 1957 7 INVENTOR. HUBEQT I- TDUCHBEREY ATTORNEV$ 2,835,099 Fatented May 20, 1958 fire NUT PICKUP DEVICE I Hubert J. Touchberry, Summerton, S. C.

Application May 31, 1957, Serial No. 662,704

2 Claims. (Cl. 56-328) The present invention relates to means for picking up small objects, and more specifically, this invention pertains to the provision of means for picking up pecan nuts which have fallen on the ground.

One of the primary objects of this invention is to provide means for picking up small objects from the ground together with means for collecting and retaining the same.

A further object of this invention is to provide object pickup and collecting means wherein the pickup means comprise a plurality of flexible members and wherein the collecting means evolves as a consequence of the arrangement and configuration of the pickup means.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a device of the type referred :to above which is noncomplex in construction and assembly, inexpensive to I manufacture, and durable in use.'

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from a consideration of the following specification when read in conjunction with the annexed drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pickup device constructed in accordance with the teachings of this invention;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the pickup device illustrated in Figure 1, this view being taken substantially on the vertical plane of line 2-2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the vertical plane of line 3--3 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now more specifically to the drawing, reference numeral designates, in general, a pecan pickup and collecting device constructed in accordance with the present invention. The device 10 includes a pair of elongated vertically spaced, parallel, and substantially open rectangular wire frames 12, 12'. The frames 12, 12' are identical in construction and the frame 12 is seen to include a pair of laterally spaced substantially parallel side members 16, 18, and a pair of longitudinally spaced and substantially parallel end members 20, 22. The component elements of the frame 12' are distinguishable from those of the frame 12 by the addition of a prime mark.

A plurality of substantially U-shaped wire members 24 having laterally spaced and parallel side arms 26, 28 and bights 30 are provided and the upper ends of the side arms 26, 28 are connected by conventional means to the sides 16, 16', 18 and 18' in longitudinally spaced relation.

A wire 32 having a serpentine configuration including the laterally spaced arms 34, 36 connected by a bight 38 adjacent their respective lower ends, an arm 40 connected by a bight 42 to the upper end of the arm 36, and an arm 44 connected by a bight 46 to the lower end of the arm 40 extends across one end of the device 10. The upper ends of the arms 34, 44 are fixedly secured by conventional means to the end wires 22 and 22 adjacent their respective ends. The bight 42 is also fixedly secured to the end wire 22'.

A second wire 32' also having a serpentine configuration extends across the other end of the device 10. The

component elements of the wire 32 may be distinguished from those of the wire 32 through the addition of a prime mark. In this instance, the upper ends of the wires 34' and 44' are fixedly secured to the end wires 20, 20 by conventional means and the bight 34 together with adjacent portions of the leg 36, 40 are bent laterally and outwardly.

The pickup device 10 is completed by securing to the side frame members 16, 16', 18 and 18' to the lower ends of the arms 46, 48 of an inverted substantially U- shaped handle member 50.

To utilize the above described device, reference is now made specifically to Figure 2 of the drawing. In this figure, the full line position of the arms 26, 28 and the bights 30 define an open substantially rectangular collecting device for small objects such as, for example, pecan nuts designated in general by the reference numeral 52. To utilize the device 10 as pickup means for the pecan nuts 52, the operator grasps the devict 10 by the handle 50 and pushes downwardly thereon in such a manner as to cause a pair of adjacent bights 30 to engage against opposite sides of a pecan nut 52A disposed on theground 54. Continued pressure causes the bights 30 to separate and as the same pass below the longitudinal axis of the nut 52A the tines 30 will exercise a rforce on the nut 52A to cause the same to be elevated above and to come to rest on the bights 30. In this manner a large number of pecan nuts or other small objects may be accumulated within the pickup device 10. The serpentine ends 32, 32' prevent the accumulated nuts 52 from shifting and becoming accidentally discharged from the opposed ends of the device 10 and the space between the bight portion 42 and the adjacent portion of the end wire 20' represents a discharge opening.

Having described and illustrated one embodiment of this invention in detail, it will be understood that the same is offered merely by way of example, and that the invention is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A pickup device for nuts and other similar small objects comprising a pair of elongated vertically spaced parallel and substantially open rectangular wire frames, each of said frames including a pair of laterally spaced substantially parallel side members and a pair of longitudinally spaced and substantially parallel end members, a plurality of substantially U-shaped wire members having laterally spaced and substantially parallel side arms and each pair of adjacent ends of said side arms being connected together by bights, said side arms adjacent points remote from said bights being fixedly secured to said sides of said frames in longitudinally spaced relation, a wire extending transversely across said device at each end thereof, each of said wires having a serpentine configuration including a bight portion and having portions of said wires fixedly secured to said frames, and one of said last named wires having the bight portion and portions of said last named wire adjacent thereto laterally and outwardly bent with respect to one end of said device to form a discharge opening.

2. A device of the type described in claim 1 and an inverted substantially U-shaped wire handle having the free ends thereof fixedly secured to the sides of said frames intermediate their respective ends.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,540,857 Bagley Feb. 6, 1951 2,736,157 Weathersby Feb. 28, 1956 2,788,630 Nisbet Apr. 30, 1957 Meyers Apr. 18, 1950 

